Spatial
Unsound NYC Mix
In New York City next week Unsound Festival will officially fall upon us, which means we can deliver this exclusive mix from one of the artists playing their unbelievable Bass Mutations lineup. Spatial steps up here, providing a lengthy and luminous mix of his own productions as well as exclusive cuts from URB favorites Joy O, xxxy and fellow Bass Mutations artists Appleblim and Dorian Concept. Along with a hefty mix of tunes that stretch the stream of consciousness from dark techno drums to Chicago house bounce, Spatial provided an interview that highlights the mix, his upcoming projects and an explanation as to how his signature sounds came into fruition. Check it all out after the jump.
URB: What are the origins of Spatial?
SPATIAL: It was a project I started in the mid ‘90s to investigate a certain lineage of sound system culture that represented andintersection between a very UK focused rave sound and “purer” sounding strains of dance like US and European techno. It was very driven by the whole UK sound happening at that time. I’d been producing on and off for a while before but without such a definite contextual focus. How dancey some of the material is arguable but it was always targeted at the sound systems.
URB: What and/or who are you main influences, past and present?
S: Tough question as there’s lots across so many styles! To give this context, I guess the mix is pretty representative of some more current inspirations. I¹m loving the overtly retro house / techno influences on Maurice & Joy O tracks – hence the Robert Armani sample overlaid on “Wade In” – the beat on that track is exactly that Chicago sound; so effective though. I love the fact those guys are making this material and what people like the Hessle Audio crew are doing. Kode9 and Hyperdub have been a big influence, maybe more in a contextual way. Appleblim helped lead the way crossing a lot of European sounds into UK bass – watch out for those tracks and material from myself and S-Max on a new label called Schmorgasboard.
The guys from the wider Infrasonics universe; xxxy & Unknown to the Unknown (aka Hot City) are both on fire. Interestingly, with a heavy electro influenced sound.
If we’re going way back then the 1st & 2nd wave Detroit guys – especially Carl Craig and the UK scene that spawned. Kirk Degiorgio, The Black Dog etc.
I’m always a little torn as I have the most respect for people that think a bit outside the box but that doesn¹t always matter so much in a DJ context. Actress springs to mind on that note. Totally unrelated to dance, I experienced one of the best performances I’ve seen in a long while the other day by a guy called Ghédalia Tazartès.
URB: Your sound has certainly evolved with every release you’ve put out on
Infrasonics, what’s upcoming with your sound and the label?
S: I’ve got a CD compilation of my first four Infrasonics 10”s plus the extra
digital material that accompanied each vinyl coming at the end of April. We’re also about to get another split 12” into the system. I¹ve got a variety of things circling – the aforementioned Smorgasbord release which includes a very straight techno track on one end and a more leftfield piece coming on a label called Broken20.
URB: What’s the main difference between LIVE/DJ for a Spatial set?
S: I don¹t really play live and I’m not particularly interested in doing so for predefined music. Assuming you’re referring to the Unsound listing it’s really just referencing my digital setup which allows me to do a lot of tricks like beat juggling, sampling & looping etc on the fly. It’s a very flexible system and allows me to be pretty creative but still based around the metaphor of DJing i.e. it’s a DJ controller I use. You can hear all of this stuff in the mix if you listen carefully. I try not to overdo it though.
URB: What are you looking forward to you with your upcoming appearance at
Unsound NY?
S: Are you kidding?! Have you seen the Bass Mutations lineup! Seriously, it’s a
very strong team that night. Very pleased to follow a schedule that runs
Dave Q, Badawi, Lone, Kode9, Appleblim, etc. Both rooms look amazing that
evening and I’m looking forward to hanging with some of the NYC crew again. I also made a point of arriving on Thursday as I want to catch Morton Subotnick!
URB Presents: Spatial Tracklist
01.Applleblim & October – Fountains Of Paradise
02.Kode9 & The Spaceape – Neon Red Sign
03.Maurice Donovan – Babeh
04.Dubbel Dutch – Fem Pressure
05.spatial – dub 101006
06.Appleblim & October – N Y FIZZZZZ
07.Joy O – Wade In
08.xxxy – Kerpow
09.Unknown To The Unknown – Da Autopsy
10.Mau’lin – Good Arithmetic
11.Kode9 & The Spaceape – The Cure (feat. Cha Cha)
12.A Made Up Sound – Demons (Reprise)
13.Royal T – Orangeade (Walton 130 Edit)
14.spatial – dub
15.Hypno – Dilemma (Octa Push Remix)
16.Submerse – Mecha
17.Randomer & Fife – Five Super
18.spatial – dub
19.xxxy – Body Moving
20.spatial – 100427
21.spatial – 100505
22.Dorian Concept – Her Tears Taste Like Pears
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